ORANJESTAD, Aruba — Aruba’s chief government spokesman said Friday that three young men detained in the disappearance of an Alabama teenager have not been formally charged but could be as soon as Monday.

Earlier, Aruba’s attorney general, Karin Janssen, told The Associated Press that the young men had been charged with murder since their arrest three weeks ago.

“The three have been charged with the murder of Natalee Holloway from the beginning” of their arrest 10 days after the young woman went missing May 30, she said in a recorded interview. “At the time, we didn’t want to upset the family talking about murder while they searched.”

However, Janssen said, the charges were not announced at the time to protect the feelings of the family of the missing 18-year-old. The attorney general and other Aruban officials have said for weeks that no one has been charged in the case.

The government spokesman, Ruben Trapenberg, contacted the AP following the English-language interview with Janssen.

“This a question of semantics. It’s been a problem since Day One,” Trapenberg said. “The charging is a formal process that happens later on. It could happen as soon as Monday.”

Thank you for the clarity Mr. Trapenberg, this was our point all along. Where is the change in the news story and to say they “may be charged” as early as Monday is not news either.